Latest news with #Immunity
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Health
- Leader Live
Lush Smoothie in Buckley to focus on health and wellbeing
In 2020, under the covid pandemic, Kat Jones launched Aspire to Inspire mobile fitness company. Over 12 months later, she opened a women's-only gym by the same name, in Buckley town centre. The Aspire to Inspire 24-hour gym now has 190 members. This weekend the 40-year-old, who is also a menopause coach, is opening her latest venture, Lush Smoothie. Read more: Flintshire business with prom 2026 in its sights! Located upstairs above Aspire to Inspire on Brunswick Road, the smoothie bar will have natural goodness at its heart. Kat said: "It's about promoting health and wellbeing, offering a healthier alternative to the people of Buckley. "It is all made fresh, using natural products, and can be tailored to individual requirements too, such as no nut products. "As well as fresh fruits and vegetables, we have collagen, a variety of honeys and selection of milks. Read more: 'We're humbled' - Meet the winner of best deli, butchers, farm shop 2025 "We hope to bring some seasonal editions to the menu throughout the year too." As well as the smoothies, such as Detox Delight (spinach, apple, celery, lemon and ginger) and Hormone Harmony (mixed berries, Greek yoghurt, chia seeds, maca powder and coconut water), Lush Smoothie will offer 'wellness shots', including Immunity (carrot, ginger, turmeric, pepper and orange). Over a series of feedback from taster events, Kat has managed to help pin down recipes that have great flavours and texture, as well as offering value for money. Lush Smoothie, which includes 'chill space' area with seating, opens officially on Saturday (May 31) at 8am.
Toronto Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Sun
CHARLEBOIS: Crumbs of justice in Canada's biggest bread scam
Though a $500-million class-action settlement has been approved, the story is far from over Sliced white bread. Photo by File Photo / Getty Images Canada's bread price-fixing scandal stands as one of the most damaging and far-reaching corporate breaches of trust in the country's food retail history. The recent approval of a $500-million class-action settlement by an Ontario court marks a significant, if partial, step toward accountability. But the story is far from over. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The scheme, which ran from 2001 to 2015, involved deliberate coordination between retailers and suppliers to raise the price of packaged bread — a basic household staple. Companies named in the lawsuit include Loblaw, its parent company George Weston Ltd., Metro, Sobeys, Walmart, and Giant Tiger. The impact on consumers was severe. Some estimates suggest Canadians were overcharged by more than $5 billion over the 14-year period. The cost was buried in weekly grocery bills, unnoticed by many, but cumulatively staggering — especially for lower-income households who spend a greater share of their income on food. The Competition Bureau launched its investigation in 2015 when Loblaw came forward as a whistleblower under its Immunity and Leniency Program. In exchange for cooperating with investigators, Loblaw and George Weston received immunity from criminal prosecution. Their decision to self-report triggered years of legal scrutiny and public outrage. In 2017, the companies attempted to mitigate damage by offering $25 gift cards to 3.8 million Canadians who did apply for a card — a gesture that cost them $96 million and was widely seen as insufficient. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. More recently, in 2023, Canada Bread pleaded guilty and paid a record $50-million fine for its role in the price-fixing arrangement. The violations occurred while the company was owned by Maple Leaf Foods, but it was Grupo Bimbo, which acquired Canada Bread in 2014, that accepted responsibility and cooperated with regulators — a rare display of corporate accountability in a case marked by silence from many involved. Despite multiple companies being named in the investigation, only Loblaw, George Weston, and Canada Bread have admitted guilt. No public sanctions or fines have been imposed on the others. Walmart, Metro, Sobeys, and Giant Tiger — all implicated by Loblaw — have denied the allegations. And yet, the investigation remains ongoing nearly a decade later. Ten years! This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Still, this imbalance in accountability has fuelled public frustration. Many Canadians feel that only those who came forward have faced consequences, while others remain untouched. Or perhaps the four remaining accused grocers were thrown under the proverbial bus by Loblaw in a calculated move to preserve its own reputation? RECOMMENDED VIDEO The $500-million class-action settlement — $404 million of which will come again from Loblaw and George Weston — was approved earlier in May by an Ontario judge who deemed it 'fair, reasonable, and in the best interests of class members.' The remaining $96 million is accounted for through the earlier gift card program. So, the money yet to be disbursed equals about $13 per Canadian adult, that's it. After legal fees and administrative costs, 78% of the remaining funds will go to eligible Canadians outside Quebec, with 22% reserved for Quebecers pending a court hearing on June 16. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Yet for many, despite the apologies, the monetary settlement does little to restore trust. The scandal exposed deep vulnerabilities in Canada's food retail system: Weak competition laws, limited price transparency, and inadequate deterrents for collusion. Investigations of this scale take years — often too many — and the damage to public trust lingers long after fines are paid. Bread is not just a commodity. It is symbolic of nourishment, affordability, and stability. The deliberate manipulation of its price is more than a violation of antitrust laws — it is a betrayal of consumer confidence. If this case is to serve as a turning point, it must lead to more than financial compensation. Stronger enforcement, faster investigations, and greater transparency in pricing practices are needed. Without systemic reform, Canadians remain vulnerable to the next coordinated 'market adjustment' — buried in plain sight on store shelves. — Dr. Sylvain Charlebois is the Director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor Podcast Columnists Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Relationships Columnists
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Cheat meals taste so good — new evidence suggests they are so bad for your body
So much for weekends of caloric abandon. New research confirms that just two days of eating a high-fat diet can compromise critical immune cells in the gut and weaken the intestinal barrier, suggesting the impact of our daily dietary choices is more immediate than previously believed. 3 Consuming a high-fat diet led to the rapid suppression of specialized immune cells in lab mice. Home-stock – Advertisement Published this month in the journal Immunity, the research followed mice fed a regular diet, a high-fat diet and specialized diets enriched with saturated and unsaturated fats. The high-fat diet led to the rapid suppression of specialized immune cells called ILC3s, which produce a protective substance called interleukin-22 (IL-22). This suppression is disastrous for the digestive system. Within the gut, IL-22 typically shields the intestinal barrier by generating protective elements that prevent bacteria, toxins, undigested food particles and inflammatory pathogens from breaching the bloodstream. Advertisement When a high-fat diet limits the production of IL-22, that intestinal barrier becomes more permeable, a condition known, inelegantly, as 'leaky gut.' While not a formal diagnosis, leaky gut is known to cause bloating, constipation, indigestion, acid reflux and potentially intestinal pain. What's worse, when toxins leak beyond the gut, they trigger widespread inflammation, leading to issues like skin problems, brain fog, anxiety, depression, cardiovascular stress and even fertility challenges. Advertisement 'The more saturated fats we eat, the more inflammation that builds up,' said study author Cyril Seillet from The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia. 'This inflammation build-up is initially silent, remaining hidden in our bodies until years later, where it can present as chronic inflammation.' Seillet and his team discovered that different fats have wildly different effects on overall gut health. They found that unsaturated fatty acids, found in olive oil and avocados, helped support normal IL-22 production and gut barrier function. 3 The study authors discovered that different fats have wildly different effects on overall gut health. Cell Press Advertisement In contrast, saturated fatty acids, present in palm oil, butter and fatty animal meat, deliver a one-two punch by seriously hindering immune cell function and increasing intestinal inflammation. After just two days on high-fat diets, researchers observed that certain subtypes of ILC3 immune cells already exhibited reduced IL-22 production. A week into the high-fat diet, all ILC3 subtypes were compromised. Further, within a week on the high-fat diet, the gut microbiome had rapidly shifted, exhibiting a decline in beneficial bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids and a proliferation of harmful bacteria. Using specialized equipment, the research team discerned that one week on a high-fat diet correlated to 'leakier' mice intestines, a permeability that allowed more potentially dangerous substances to pass through. There is a bit of silver (intestinal) lining to be found in this latest batch of research — the gut-compromising consequences of a high-fat diet aren't permanent. The research team found that after resuming a regular diet, gut function improved after just two days and returned to normal after seven days. This quick correction suggests dietary interventions could rapidly restore gut health. 3 Blessedly, researchers found that the gut-compromising consequences of a high-fat diet aren't permanent. littlepigpower – Advertisement In addition, researchers found that saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are processed in entirely different ways. Saturated fats are processed through a pathway called fatty acid oxidation, which impairs immune function, while unsaturated fats like oleic acid form protective lipid droplets in the cells, helping to maintain proper immune responses. To demonstrate how the processing of these fats influences intestinal inflammation, the research team induced colitis in the mice. The mice fed saturated fats showed greater tissue damage than those that ate unsaturated fats or adhered to a regular diet. Advertisement Results were similar when the team exposed isolated human immune cells to different fatty acids. Essentially, unsaturated fats support immune function while saturated fats suppress IL-22 production. Researchers believe these rapid and profound changes in gut health could explain why people experience digestive discomfort when they veer from their regular diets during the holidays or on vacation. Conversely, these results serve to explain why diets rich in olive oil and unsaturated fats, such as the lauded Mediterranean diet, are associated with lower levels of inflammation and improved gut health. Advertisement How important is gut health? Research reports that Parkinson's disease may begin in the gut. A 2022 study from New York's Clarkson University even found a possible link between a person's gut health and personality.
Hindustan Times
21-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Guts don't lie: Study explains how a weekend of cheat meals can lead to leaky gut
Cheat meals do not take years or months to show an impact on our gut health, as previously thought. According to a new study, published in the journal Immunity and led by Cyril Seillet, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, even a weekend of high fatty foods can disable immune cells that help in protecting the intestinal carrier. Also read | Study links cheat meals with these different eating disorders in women, men, transgender, others The study, published on May 13, 2025, was conducted on mice who were fed different kinds of meals to understand the impact of fatty foods on their gut. Some mice were fed chow, while others were fed food items with 36 percent or 60 percent fat content. The researchers observed that after a few days of high fat consumption, their gut health demonstrated damage. Study author Cyril Seillet from The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, in a statement said, 'The more saturated fats we eat, the more inflammation that builds up. But this inflammation build-up is initially silent, remaining hidden in our bodies until years later, where it can present as chronic inflammation.' The researchers observed that consuming a high fat diet suppresses specialised immune cells called ILC3s. This in turn produces a crucial protective substance called interleukin-22. Interleukin-22 helps in maintaining the intestinal barrier by producing antimicrobial peptides, mucus, and tight-junction proteins. These components prevent harmful bacteria and toxins from getting inside the bloodstream. But when IL-22 production is suppressed by high fat diet consumption, the gut becomes permeable. This condition is referred to as the leaky gut. Also read | All about Neeraj Chopra's diet: From snacks to cheat meals to fitness routine, know how the Olympian keeps fit This study further explains why people experience digestive discomfort shortly after having a high-fat meal. This also explains why Mediterranean diets rich in olive oil and other sources of unsaturated fats are known for having long-term health benefits for gut health and can lower inflammation. The effects do not take years to show; it can provide instant intestinal comfort. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
The Independent
16-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The countries reporting a new wave of Covid-19
Hong Kong and Singapore are experiencing a surge in Covid -19 cases, marking a new wave of infections. Hong Kong's infection rate has increased significantly, from 1.7 per cent in mid-March to 11.4 per cent now, surpassing the peak recorded in August 2024. Singapore reported a 28 per cent rise in estimated cases, prompting its first Covid update in a year. Health officials have attributed the resurgence to waning immunity, not more severe variants. China and Thailand are also witnessing increased Covid activity, with China approaching its previous summer peak.
